Knife Handle (Kozuka)

Cleveland Museum of Art

The "Knife Handle (Kozuka)" by artist Masamune is a dark-colored, rectangular object with a flat top and bottom. The top features an abstract design resembling waves or water. A relief sculpture on the side depicts a man in traditional Japanese armor riding a horse. The man holds a sword and has a long hairpiece. He wears a helmet with a face guard. His armor is decorated with gold accents. The horse is brown with a saddle and bridle. The man and horse are surrounded by gold flowers. Above the relief, there are two flower designs. The background of the image is black, gradating to gray at the bottom.